The Kuwaiti Ministry of Information (MoI) has re-affirmed its commitment to protect intellectual property rights and has intensified its awareness campaign through a series of raids in cooperation with the Arabian Anti-Piracy Association (AAA). The MoI recently confiscated five computers loaded with pirated software following a raid on five computer companies in Kuwait City.
The campaign is part of the Ministry’s strategy to encourage the use of original software and thereby protect the intellectual property rights in Kuwait. The MoI is launching multiple initiatives which aim at raising public awareness about the laws and regulations of IPR which categorise the use and trade of pirated software as an illegal act.
Tarek Al Ajmi, Assistant Under Secretary for Press and Journalism Affairs, Ministry of Information Kuwait, said: “The Ministry is committed to support the issue of IPR protection and will step up its efforts to limit the use and trade of illegal products, as we are fully aware of the negative impact of this practice on the national economy. Software piracy leads to an unbalanced economy and hampers the country’s progress and growth. We are currently working on specific strategies to increase awareness about the detrimental effects of piracy on the nation.”
Scott Butler, CEO AAA said: “We commend the efforts of the Kuwait Ministry of Information to protect intellectual property rights. The authorities have been effectively implementing the IPR laws and the latest raid was carried out after the companies concerned were monitored closely. The raid sends a strong message to the public about the importance of respecting the IPR laws.”
“We are delighted to be part of the anti-piracy campaign, not only because we are fighting one of the most dangerous commercial crimes but also because this increases the trust of the international software developers in the country. These raids are a very effective tool to increase awareness that software piracy is illegal and that the Kuwait IPR law incriminates end-users too,” he added.
Kuwait has been demonstrating its commitment to step-up its anti-piracy campaign and is considered one of the first countries in the region to adopt anti-piracy awareness campaigns. As a result of its firm actions against piracy, the average piracy rate has dropped in the recent years and software developers are increasingly gaining trust in the country. The increasing efforts of the government are expected to lead to a gradual decrease in the use and trade of pirated software in the country.
The Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) is the foremost organization dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world. BSA is the voice of the world's commercial software industry and its hardware partners before governments and in the international marketplace BSA helps governments and consumers understand how software strengthens the economy, worker productivity and global development and how its further expansion hinges on the successful fight against software piracy and Internet theft. BSA programs foster technology innovation through education and policy initiatives that promote copyright protection, cyber security, trade and e-commerce.
BSA members include: 4D, Adobe, Agfa-Monotype, Apple, Autodesk, Avid, Bentley Systems, Borland, BVRP Software, Centennial, Cisco Systems, CNC Software/Mastercam, Grupo SP, Entrust, HiT Internet Technologies, HP, IBM, iInventory, Intel, Intergraph, Internet Security Systems, Intuit, LMS International, Macromedia, Magix, Mamut, McAfee, Microsoft, Microstar, Nemetschek, O&O Software, OWG, Panda Software, Realviz, RSA Security, SIA, SolidWorks, Staff & Line, Sybase, Symantec, TeamSystem, Trend Micro, UGS PLM Solutions, VERITAS Software, Visma, WRQ.
